A Working Definition of Forever
by whydyoucallmemadam
Summary: The Doctor is trapped in the parallel universe instead of Rose, and now she has to figure out what to do on her own.


Hi I know I'm about a decade late, but this is an idea I've been working on forever, and I just recently decided to buckle down and write it. I've seen a few of these types of AUs that I really enjoyed, but I felt I wanted to approach this a little differently. Let me know what you think!

* * *

When the golden light dissipated around her, Donna found herself in what appeared to be some sort of science fiction exhibit, with dials and grating and levers. But it was all covered in dust, as if part of a museum that had long ago been abandoned, and they'd forgotten to knock down this section.

Except, there were empty take-out boxes all over the place, and a jacket draped across the seat. She narrowed her eyes, searching for an exit, and then stormed over to the door. Whoever had done this to her was going to pay.

Before Donna could open the door, it opened itself, and in the entry stood a blonde woman in a hoodie, chips in one hand, a key in the other, but the chips fell to the floor when the woman saw her.

"Who the hell are you?" Oh, the absolute _nerve_.

"Don't play stupid," her brain whirred to come up with a rational solution to all this. "You kidnapped me!"

The blonde furrowed her eyebrows and pouted, obviously playing at being confused. "I did what, now?"

"Oh, I don't have time for this." She pushed past the other woman only to find herself… in a flat?

"I'm sorry," said Donna's kidnapper, "Did you break into my apartment in a wedding dress?"

But what she'd said hadn't registered, as Donna looked back at where she came from only to see a blue box, not nearly large enough to contain the room in which she'd appeared. Yet, when she swung open the door again, it was the same room. She came back out and started circling the box, trying to figure out what sort of trick this was.

"Excuse me," said the other woman. "But if you didn't come through here, how'd you end up in the TARDIS?"

"I'm going mad!" said Donna, ignoring the woman. But then the blonde grabbed her arms, gentle but firm, and looked right into her eyes. "Get off me!" cried Donna, and tried to squirm away, but the woman held tight.

"Look, I have no idea what's going on, and you clearly don't either. How about we both take a deep breath and tell each other what we do know."

There was something about the woman's gaze that was calming, and Donna felt some of the tenseness leaving her body. "Alright then, why don't you have a seat, and I'll make us both a cuppa."

When the woman let go of her, Donna let herself drop onto the sofa, but then she remembered something important, and stood straight back up. "I have to get back to the church," she protested. "I'll be late. I was walking down the aisle…"

"Wait, you were actually getting married?"

"What, you think I dress like this to go ten-pin bowling?"

"I don't know, you're the one who just appeared in my—" The woman took a breath to calm herself. "I'm sorry. I'm being insensitive. Do you need to, uh," she stumbled, seeming to struggle to figure out what one does in this sort of situation. You and me both girlie. "Call someone, or something? I can lend you my mobile." The woman reached in her pocket and held out a phone.

Donna studied her, and for the first time, realized how young she looked. "Not a very smart kidnapper, are you?" she said, but took the phone.

The woman shrugged. "Guess I'm just new at this."

Donna dialed up her mom, but it went right to voicemail. "Mum, get off the phone and listen. Oh my god, I don't even know where I am."

"Peckham," supplied the other woman helpfully.

"Peckham, then. Oh god, really?" She glanced back over at the woman. "Anyway, I'm going to get a cab, and I'll be there as soon as I can. Don't let the priest leave." She paused for a moment. "Or Lance."

She gave the phone back to the woman. "I hope you have money for a taxi, too."

* * *

They would have died at the drilling site, at the not-hands of the Racnoss empress if it hadn't been for the TARDIS appearing at an opportune moment, and the few driving lessons the Doctor had given Rose. She only knew how to get home and into the vortex, but when Rose tried for the latter, the TARDIS took them into space.

Rose had chased after Donna when she ran to the door, knowing first-hand the dangers of vortex exposure, but instead, there was only dust and rocks against a black sky. She frowned, walked over to the monitors, lit up for the first time in months. The screen showed the same view they'd had from the doorway, and unfamiliar script that Rose willed herself to understand, but no matter how she tried, the TARDIS did or could not translate.

"Why are we here?" murmured Rose, not really addressing anyone, but the ship responded with a beeping noise.

One of the monitors zoomed in on a shape approaching among the rocks. It was a seven pointed star, a the image on the screen fast-forwarded as more and more rocks through the force of gravity were attracted to the ship. The monitor sped up time, and soon the rocks and the dust and the shape were a planet that was very very familiar.

"The Earth." Something heavy sank in her chest. Her first trip with the Doctor had been to see its destruction, and now she was watching its conception, but alone.

She heard a quiet sob from behind her. No, not quite alone.

Donna stood leaning on the doorframe, and she moved over to her, put her arm around her. Today had been a trial for Rose, and she couldn't imagine what it had been like for Donna.

"Lance was right," she said. "We're just tiny."

Anger curled hot in Rose's belly. "No, Lance was wrong." Donna turned to her, surprised by the conviction in her voice. "Yeah, sure. the universe is enormous and chaotic and… beautiful." Rose surprised herself with that. She'd forgotten how beautiful the universe was, felt only bitterness towards it from the moment it separated her from everyone she cared about. "But it's only beautiful because we're here, watching it. Otherwise, there'd be no point to it, yeah? We give meaning to the chaos." It was something she'd heard the Doctor say before, and it was only now she felt she truly understood what he'd meant.

Donna bit her lip. "Where are we?"

"I think, I mean I'm pretty sure it's the Earth, just as it's coming together."

Donna seemed to struggle with that answer, but after everything she'd seen that day, she didn't question it. "So that means we came out of all this?"

"Yeah," said Rose, and felt wonder blossom in her chest for the first time in a long time. "Yeah, we did."

* * *

In all the commotion, after defeating the giant spider aliens and draining the Thames, Rose had almost forgotten it was Christmas. When they'd finally returned to the Powell Estate, and Rose went to pay for Donna's cab home, the other woman patted the seat next to her. "Come on then. No one should be on their own for the holidays. Anyway, Mum always cooks enough for twenty."

Rose was tempted to say no and spend the next couple days sulking and watching shitty rom-coms. She knew spending time with Donna's family so soon after losing her own would hurt, but there was such compassion on Donna's face that she couldn't refuse.

"Might as well, I suppose," she said. "I'm not half starved."

Donna was right: her mother cooked an excessive amount of food. While Sylvia didn't seem to necessarily approve of Rose, it was Christmas, and she was another mouth to feed. It did hurt, watching Donna with her family, even when they all bickered with each other. It hurt because it reminded her of last Christmas, with her mother and Mickey and the Doctor, but there was a bittersweet happiness that came along with that memory. Because despite everything, it had still happened, and no matter what had happened, or what would happen in the future, she would always have that memory.

There was a moment, when they were popping open the Christmas Crackers, that she got a bit overwhelmed and had to excuse herself and step outside.

Behind Donna's house, there was a small hill with an amazing view of the night sky. She climbed up and gazed at the stars, wondering which ones she'd been to, and lamenting that she'd never add any more to that count. Rose didn't know how long she'd been standing there when someone cleared their voice behind her. She started, but it was only Donna's granddad, holding out a jacket.

"You've been out here for a while, love. Thought you might be cold." She wasn't, but she took the jacket anyway.

Wilf didn't leave, just stood next to her in silence.

"Shouldn't you be getting back to your family?"

"They can survive a few minutes without tearing each other's heads off. Though I could ask you the same."

Rose didn't have a reply for that.

Wilf shuffled a little bit where he was standing, and patted her shoulder. "Pardon my speaking plainly, but what are you doing out here, by yourself?"

"I needed a walk."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it."

This man didn't owe Rose anything, yet he and his family had welcomed them into her home and fed her. The least she could give him was an explanation.

"I'm alone." Her voice cracked a little, but Wilf didn't move to comfort her, guessing correctly that she'd come out here needing space. But he also knew she needed someone to talk to. "All my family, everyone I loved. They're gone. I lost them…" She tried to find a way to explain what had happened without explaining everything that had happened. God knows they'd be out here till New Years. "I lost them at Canary Wharf," she decided on. "Been on my own since."

"Well," said Wilf after he was sure she was done talking. "You don't have to be." Rose turned to him, unshed tears in her eyes. "My granddaughter, I can tell she's worried about you. Let us help you. We've got a spare bed and everything."

It was a tempting thought, but Rose couldn't take the idea of being a burden on top of her current pain. She shook her head. "No, I think I do. Have to be on my own, I mean. Just for a little while."

"Alright then, how about a compromise: you come over once a week for dinner with us." He grinned in a way that made Rose wish for the thousandth time her father was alive. "I insist." He stuck his thumb back at the house, aglow with yellow light. "I'll go mad listening to those two argue by myself."

Rose laughed. "Alright then, you have yourself a deal."

Wilf held out his hand, and they shook on it.

* * *

It was late when Rose returned home to her silent flat. The TARDIS stood where it had before, on the carpet in the living room. If only the Doctor were here, she could make a jab about precision parking and get to see that lovely sputtering look on his face. She sighed and put the leftovers Sylvia had made her take home into the fridge.

Rose changed into her pajamas and checked her phone. No new calls. The Doctor had left his jacket behind, and in the inter-dimensional pockets she'd found a good amount of money, but that, plus the minuscule amount left in her savings account, wouldn't last forever. She needed to find work, and none of the places she'd applied to had responded back.

After a fruitless effort to fall asleep, she pushed herself out of bed and her feet took her, almost unconsciously, into the TARDIS.

She pulled the Doctor's coat over her shoulders and sat on the jump-seat. Rose didn't know why she spent so much time inside the ship, but for some reason, she found it comforting. Physically, in her mind, she almost felt like there was a warm presence. The Doctor had said the TARDIS was a living being, that it was telepathic. Maybe this was something to do with that.

Rose caught herself stroking a bit of the console, and then laughed, remembering how she and Sarah-Jane had made fun of the Doctor for doing the same. But really, she got it now, because the TARDIS was all she had. She couldn't help loving it and hating it for that.

It was a bad habit, but once again since Canary Wharf, she felt herself drifting off on the jump-seat, beneath the Doctor's coat, to the churning of the TARDIS. The TARDIS, who had saved her today and many times before.

Rose had been wrong before, talking to Wilf. She wasn't alone. Not really.


End file.
